A look at contemporary television and film demonstrates that in one sense social and cultural liberalism have won the day. Polls confirm a steady leftward shift over recent decades in attitudes toward same-sex marriage, equality of the sexes and diversity in both education and the workplace. At the same time, liberal victory in the cultural revolution of the 1960s and 70s, with its emphasis on so-called postmaterialist values — personal fulfillment, openness to new ideas, and support for previously marginalized populations — had its costs, which political analysts have been reckoning.

Researchers often warn that the effects of a few successful, small, high-quality preschool programs cannot necessarily be replicated at scale. But do states need to sacrifice school quality when expanding access to early childhood education?

Public discussions of rising college prices tend to focus on the well-documented increase in tuition and fees. But it turns out that college living costs, namely charges for room and board have risen at a startling rate in recent decades and make up a large proportion of the increase in the cost of attending both two- and four-year colleges.

The number of parents returning to school to pursue undergraduate degrees increased by more than 30% between 2004 and 2012. The rise in the number of parents entering or returning to college is a stark contrast to the decreasing number of child care centers on campuses, which has dropped by more than 10% in the last ten years.